A CHARITY is being forced to move to make way for a high street bank but trustees of Staines Shopmobility have pledged to focus on the future to make the best use of its new site.

The charity, which provides mobility scooters for shoppers in the town centre, has been based near Waitrose in the Two Rivers centre for the past decade but is now being rehoused to make room for a new branch of Metro Bank.

There have been concerns that the move would impact on new users who will no longer be able to practise on the scooters before moving out into the busy car park.

The reduction of disability parking at its new Two Rivers site, opposite Vue cinema, coupled with a reduced footfall, has also raised eyebrows.

However, Staines Shopmobility trustee Gerry Ceaser was pleased the charity would still be based in the town centre and believed any issues could be overcome.

He said: “Yes, it’s gone through – there is a slight complication we are trying to resolve at the moment.

"The committee was concerned we would be displaced and that we would be rehoused before work started on getting the bank in but we have agreements that we can be rehoused concurrently.

“We want to see if Metro Bank and us can get on at the same time so we are not stuck in a temporary building over the winter.

“Overall, we are happy as we now have a bigger building than was first put forward.

“It will be sad to leave the old site – we have been there for 10 or 12 years. Everybody knows where we are but like everything, things move on.”

The decision, made during a meeting of Spelthorne Borough Council’s planning committee, provided space for 12 manual powered wheelchairs, four powered wheelchairs and nine electric scooters as well as office space on the new site.

The latest, larger designs allow the extra storage needed for the vehicles but will mean the disabled parking outside the new site will be reduced from its current level of seven down to five spaces.

While the building work takes place, Staines Shopmobility will be based in temporary buildings in the shopping centre, near Costa Coffee.

Mr Ceaser said there were still matters that needed addressing, such as provision of a practice site, phone lines and signage, but added: “As we are going at Two Rivers’ request, the cost of the move is down to the centre.

“Disabled parking outside the new site will be reduced from seven bays to five to allow for the increased size of the new building but we are looking for further parking on the other side of the road.

“However, the plans have now been approved and we are focused on the future.”